First of all, acupuncture must be useful and effective, or people wouldn’t persistently spend so much time and money on acupuncture treatments.

Acupuncture, as a traditional Chinese medicine treatment, has been around for thousands of years. Modern scientific research increasingly confirms that acupuncture is not merely a psychological effect or placebo, it can indeed work through multiple mechanisms. Below, we explore how acupuncture works from physiological, neurological, and immune perspectives:

1. Regulation of the Nervous System
   One of acupuncture’s main functions is to regulate the nervous system through the stimulation of the skin, muscles, and neural tissues. This mechanism manifests in several ways:

• Neurotransmitter Release: When acupuncture needles are inserted into the skin, the body triggers a local neural response, which then stimulates the central nervous system. Research has found that acupuncture stimulates the brain to release important neurotransmitters, such as endorphins (natural painkillers), serotonin, dopamine, and others. These substances help relieve pain, relax muscles, and improve overall mood.
• Pain Regulation: Acupuncture is particularly effective in relieving pain. By stimulating specific acupuncture points, acupuncture enhances the brain’s tolerance to pain, thus reducing the perception of pain. It activates the body’s “self-healing system,” reducing the neural signals that transmit pain.
• Nervous System Balance: Acupuncture can regulate the balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. By reducing sympathetic nervous system arousal and lowering the body’s tension, acupuncture helps relax the body, lower blood pressure, and alleviate anxiety and stress.

2. Activation of the Body’s Self-Healing Ability
   Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) theory suggests that acupuncture can “unblock meridians and activate circulation,” promoting the flow of Qi and blood, and restoring the body’s natural balance. In the framework of modern medicine, acupuncture’s role is reflected in:

• Improved Blood Circulation: Acupuncture can accelerate blood circulation through local stimulation, enhancing oxygen supply to tissue cells, improving metabolism, and promoting detoxification. Improved blood flow helps accelerate the body’s ability to repair damaged areas and promote wound healing.
• Muscle Relaxation: Acupuncture is effective in alleviating muscle tension and reducing pain caused by muscle stiffness. By regulating local nerve and muscle tension, acupuncture can help improve motor function and reduce discomfort in muscles and joints.

3. Immune System Activation

• Enhancing Immune Response: Studies show that acupuncture has a positive effect on the immune system. By stimulating specific acupuncture points, acupuncture enhances the body’s immune response. It can increase the number of white blood cells, enhancing the body’s ability to resist pathogens. Acupuncture also regulates cytokines in the body, promoting immune system balance and repair.
• Anti-inflammatory Effects: The anti-inflammatory effects of acupuncture have been widely applied in clinical practice, especially in chronic inflammation and autoimmune diseases. Acupuncture helps reduce inflammation by improving local blood circulation, effectively alleviating symptoms caused by chronic diseases.

4. Endocrine System Regulation
   Acupuncture has been found to regulate hormone levels in the body, which is highly useful for treating many conditions:

• Hormone Balance: Studies show that acupuncture helps regulate hormone secretion in the body, such as estrogen and progesterone, making it beneficial for conditions related to hormonal imbalances (such as irregular menstruation, menopausal symptoms).
• Improved Metabolism: Acupuncture can regulate the endocrine system, improving metabolic functions, especially helpful in managing chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension.

5. Psychological and Emotional Regulation
   Acupuncture has a significant impact on mental health, especially in alleviating stress, anxiety, depression, and other emotional issues:

• Stress Reduction: Acupuncture can help regulate the body’s response to stress by stimulating specific areas of the nervous system. It stimulates the brain to release more endorphins and serotonin, which helps reduce tension and anxiety.
• Improved Sleep Quality: Acupuncture can help balance the nervous system and promote relaxation, thereby improving sleep quality, especially for insomnia. Many studies show that acupuncture reduces the time it takes to fall asleep and increases the depth and quality of sleep.

6. Holistic Treatment and Personalized Care
   Traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes “preventing disease before it occurs,” maintaining the body’s health before illness arises. As part of TCM, acupuncture can provide personalized treatment plans based on an individual’s constitution and symptoms. It is not limited to treating a single symptom but restores balance and health through holistic treatment.

• Differentiated Treatment: When treating patients, acupuncture takes into account their overall health condition, including emotions, lifestyle, and constitution, to provide personalized treatment. This method emphasizes holistic and preventative care, avoiding sole reliance on medication.

Is Acupuncture a Placebo?

The question of whether acupuncture is a placebo effect has been controversial in both academic and public circles. To understand this, we first need to define what the “placebo effect” is.

The placebo effect refers to the positive outcomes experienced by a patient simply because they believe the treatment is effective, even though the treatment itself has no real pharmacological effect.

Whether acupuncture is purely a placebo effect depends on several factors:

• Clinical Research: A large amount of clinical research shows that acupuncture is indeed effective in treating certain conditions, particularly in relieving pain (e.g., chronic back pain, arthritis), improving sleep quality, and reducing anxiety. For example, systematic medical research has found that acupuncture shows more significant effects than a placebo in relieving chronic pain and restoring function.
• Comparative Studies: In some controlled studies, acupuncture treatment groups show better outcomes than placebo groups. While some research suggests that, in certain cases, acupuncture effects may resemble the placebo effect, many studies highlight that acupuncture outperforms the placebo effect in practical applications.
• Acupuncture Specificity: The effectiveness of acupuncture may be closely related to the specific points, depth of needle insertion, and the individual’s health condition. By selecting specific acupuncture points and tailoring treatment according to the individual’s condition, acupuncture effects may not be simply due to the patient’s psychological expectations. In certain cases, a placebo effect alone cannot fully explain the treatment’s effectiveness.
• Psychological Factors: It is undeniable that trust and expectations play an important role in acupuncture treatment. People’s expectations of acupuncture may enhance its effectiveness, but this does not mean that acupuncture entirely depends on the placebo effect, especially in pain management and psychological regulation.

The effectiveness of acupuncture is not solely dependent on the placebo effect. It helps the body heal through a range of physiological mechanisms, including nervous system regulation, enhanced immune function, improved blood circulation, activation of self-healing ability, and endocrine balance. Although psychological factors and patient expectations play a positive role in some treatments, modern scientific research confirms that acupuncture does indeed produce real physiological effects and health improvements. Therefore, acupuncture is not just a “placebo,” it is an effective treatment supported by multiple physiological mechanisms.

首先，針灸一定是有用的、有效的，所有人們才會不厭其煩，甚至花很多錢和時間去做針灸治療。

針灸作為一種傳統的中醫療法，已經存在幾千年。現代科學研究越來越多地證實，針灸不僅僅是心理作用或安慰劑，它確實能通過多種機制發揮作用。下面從生理、神經、免疫等多個角度深入探討針灸是如何起作用的：

1. 神經系統的調節 針灸的主要作用之一是通過刺激皮膚、肌肉和神經組織來調節神經系統。這一機制通過以下幾方面表現出來：

• 神經遞質釋放： 當針灸針刺入皮膚時，身體會觸發局部神經反應，進而刺激中樞神經系統。研究發現，針灸能夠刺激大腦釋放一些重要的神經遞質，如內啡肽（天然的鎮痛物質）、血清素、多巴胺等，這些物質能夠緩解疼痛、放鬆肌肉，並提升整體情緒。
• 疼痛調節： 針灸特別有效於緩解疼痛。通過刺激特定的穴位，針灸能增強大腦對疼痛的耐受性，從而減輕疼痛感。它激活了身體的“自癒系統”，減少了傳遞痛感的神經信號。
• 神經系統平衡： 針灸能夠調節交感神經和副交感神經的平衡。通過減少交感神經的興奮，降低身體的緊張狀態，針灸有助於放鬆身體、降低血壓、減輕焦慮和壓力。

2. 激活身體的自癒能力 中醫理論認為，針灸能夠“通經活絡”，促進氣血流通，修復身體的自然失衡。在現代醫學的框架下，針灸的這一作用表現為：

• 血液循環改善： 針刺通過局部刺激，可以加速血液循環，增強組織細胞的氧氣供應，改善新陳代謝和排毒功能。血液流動改善能夠加速身體修復受損部位的能力，促進創傷癒合。
• 肌肉放鬆： 針灸能夠有效緩解肌肉緊張，減少因肌肉僵硬引起的疼痛。通過調節局部神經和肌肉的張力，針灸能夠幫助有效地改善運動功能，減少肌肉和關節的不適。

3. 免疫系統的激活

• 增強免疫反應： 研究顯示，針灸對免疫系統有積極作用。通過刺激特定的穴位，針灸能夠增強體內的免疫反應。它可以增加白細胞的數量，提高身體抵抗病原體的能力。針灸還能調節體內的細胞因子，促進免疫系統的平衡和修復。
• 抗炎作用： 針灸的抗炎作用在臨床上得到了廣泛應用，尤其在慢性炎症和自身免疫性疾病中表現突出。針灸通過改善局部血液循環、減少炎症反應，能夠有效減輕由慢性病引起的症狀。

4. 內分泌系統的調節 針灸還被發現能夠調節體內的激素水平，這對很多疾病的治療非常有用：

• 荷爾蒙平衡： 研究表明，針灸能夠幫助調節體內的激素分泌，如雌激素和孕激素，因此對於一些與荷爾蒙失衡相關的疾病（如月經不調、絕經症狀）有良好效果。
• 改善代謝： 針灸能夠調節內分泌系統，改善代謝功能，尤其對糖尿病、高血壓等慢性疾病的管理有一定幫助。

5. 心理和情緒的調節 針灸對心理健康有很大的影響，尤其是在緩解壓力、焦慮、抑鬱等情緒問題上：

• 減少壓力： 針灸可以通過刺激神經系統的特定部位，調節身體對壓力的反應。它能夠刺激大腦釋放更多的內啡肽和血清素，這些物質有助於減輕緊張、焦慮情緒。
• 改善睡眠質量： 針灸能夠幫助平衡神經系統，促進身體放鬆，從而改善睡眠質量，尤其對失眠症有顯著療效。很多研究表明，針灸能減少入睡時間，提高睡眠的深度和質量。

6. 整體調理與個性化治療 中醫強調“治未病”，即在疾病出現之前進行干預，保持身體的健康狀態。針灸作為中醫治療的一部分，能夠根據個人的體質和症狀制定個性化的治療方案。它並不僅僅局限於治療單一的症狀，而是通過整體調理來恢復身體的平衡和健康。

• 辨證施治： 針灸在治療時考慮患者的整體健康狀況，包括情緒、生活方式、體質等因素，從而進行個性化治療。這種治療方法強調整體性、預防性，避免單純依賴藥物治療。

針灸是安慰劑嗎？

針灸是否屬於安慰劑效應的問題，在學術界和公眾中一直有爭議。要理解這一點，首先需要了解什麼是“安慰劑效應”。

安慰劑效應是指患者在接受某種治療時，即使該治療沒有實際的藥理效應，僅僅是因為他們相信該治療有效，因而產生的積極效果。

針灸是否完全是安慰劑效應，取決於多個因素：

• 臨床研究： 大量的臨床研究表明，針灸在一些疾病的治療上確實有效，尤其是在緩解疼痛（如慢性背痛、關節炎）、改善睡眠質量、減輕焦慮等方面。例如，系統的醫學研究發現，針灸在緩解慢性疼痛和恢復功能方面表現出比安慰劑更明顯的效果。
• 對比研究： 在一些對照研究中，針灸治療組與安慰劑組相比，通常表現出更好的治療效果。雖然存在部分研究認為，某些情況下針灸的效果可能與安慰劑相似，但許多研究也指出針灸在實際操作中超越了安慰劑效應。
• 針灸的特異性： 針灸的效果可能與針刺的部位、深度以及個體的健康狀況密切相關。通過選定具體的穴位並根據個人情況進行個性化治療，針灸治療的效果可能不僅僅是因為患者的心理預期。對於某些疾病，單純的安慰劑效應難以解釋治療的具體效果。
• 心理因素： 不可否認，患者的信任和期望在針灸治療過程中起到了重要作用。人們對於針灸的期待可能增強其療效，但這並不意味著針灸完全依賴於安慰劑效應，尤其是在疼痛管理和心理調節方面。

針灸的有效性並非僅僅依賴於安慰劑效應。它通過神經系統的調節、增強免疫功能、改善血液循環、激活自癒能力、平衡內分泌等多重生理機制，幫助身體恢復健康。雖然心理因素和患者的期望在某些治療中起到了積極作用，但現代科學研究表明，針灸確實能夠帶來實際的生理效果和健康改善。因此，針灸不僅是“安慰劑”，它是一種具有多重生理機制支持的有效治療方法。